This DC-9-/0, YV-C-AAA for Linea Aeropostal Venezolana, was photographed last month at Van Nuys, California, before leaving on its delivery
flight to Venezuela
Last week Mr William Rodgers, Minister of State, Board of
Trade, referring obliquely to the outburst by Mr Clive Jenkins,
the union chief, on television in threatening to stop Eagle
employees from taking a cut in wages to save the airline,
said: "I have nothing but admiration for [the employees]. I
do not share any criticisms which have been made of the
attitude they have adopted." He also said that the BoT
"greatly regret British Eagle going out of business." Earlier,
speaking at Bournemouth, Mr Reginald Maudling, Conservative
Deputy Leader, attacked Mr Jenkins more directly. He said:
"I can only describe his threat as a disgrace to all that is
decent, humane and progressive in the trade union movement.
He was faced by Eagle employees who were obviously sincere
in their loyalty ... He gave a display of bitterness and bully-
ing and bad language the like of which I never want to see
on TV again."
But the way in which Eagle suddenly ceased trading was
strongly criticised last week by the National Joint Council for
the Civil Aviation Industry, on which both unions and
employers sit. After a meeting, the council passed a resolution
deploring the "lack of consultation and breaching of agree-
ments" by British Eagle, and regretting that the 2,300
employees were not told of the state of the airline's affairs.
The union side of the council called for an inquiry to be set
up by the President of the Board of Trade. Employers
promised that special efforts would be made to fit British
Eagle staff into vacancies as they occur. Although Eagle was
for some time not a member of the NJC. it had recently
rejoined.
BUA/LAKER TIE-UP
TWO developments which appear to have deeper implications
were announced by British United Airways last week. The first
was that BUA is buying Laker Airways' VC10 (a BUA
spokesman confirmed to Flight that the airline was buying not
leasing). The second was the signing of a contract whereby
BUA will provide Laker with catering and traffic-handling
services at Gatwick London.
The VC10 is the original prototype which was refurbished
by BAC and delivered to Laker last February and is at present
on lease to Middle East Airlines. It will be handed over to
BUA on April 1, at the conclusion of the leasing contract,
bringing the airline's VC10 fleet strength to four. One problem
which the BUA management may have to face is the integra-
tion of this aircraft with the other three; these are also
Standard VClOs, but the ex-prototype aircraft is understood
to be sufficiently different from them to cause difficulties,
particularly with regard to fitting it into maintenance schedules.
Mr F. A. Laker resigned as managing director of BUA in
November 1965 and early in 1966 formed his own airline,
Laker Airways, as a contract carrier specialising in inclusive-
tour business. Pending the delivery of three BAC One-Elevens
for operation from April 1, 1967, the airline bought two
Britannia 102s from BO AC so that operations could start in
the early summer of 1966.
BUA starts to service Laker flights with catering this month
and from January the passengers will be handled by the
BUA traffic department.
Only Two Cancellation by Alitalia of its order for a Boeing
747F freighter means that only two of this variant are now on
order, both for Pan American. One of Alitalia's four 747s
will, however, be convertible.
Hansa for US Commuter The first US commuter airline to
operate the HFB Hansa, Golden West Airlines, of Van Nuys,
Cal, plans to put the 12-passenger jet into service early next
month on a Santa Barbara - Burbank - Palm Springs service.
ANA Order More YS-llAs All Nippon Airways have
ordered five NAMC YS-llA-200s, the all-passenger version, to
meet traffic increases, and Japan Domestic Airways is
negotiating for one -200 for a new route to be opened next
year. The ANA order will bring the carrier's YS-11 fleet to 17.
Stretched DC-8s for AFA Two 250-seat DC-8-63s are to
be ordered by American Flyers Airlines, of Fort Worth, Texas,
for delivery in 1970. Meanwhile, AFA will lease two -63s from
Flying Tiger early next year for charter expansion into Europe
and to Hawaii. The carrier's present fleet consists of two
Boeing 727-100Cs and five Lockheed Electras.
Fares Agreed Among the first European fares to be agreed
within IATA are those to Greece; night excursion fares to
the area are to be reduced by 12| per cent (or, in the case
of Rhodes, by 15 per cent). The high cost of tours to the
area, determined on the basis of the IATA fares, has been
worrying tour operators, but some alleviation will now be
possible.
STOL YS-11? Experimental operation of the McDonnell
Douglas 188 (Breguet 941) on Eastern's Boston-NewYork-
Washington network has encouraged NAMCO to consider the
potential of a four-engined specialised STOL version of the
YS-11. Sources at NAMCO say that the Japanese company
will proceed with its development if the market potential in
the USA proves large enough.
New NY Terminal for PAA A new £21 million terminal is to
be built at J. F. Kennedy, New York, by Pan American in
preparation for the Boeing 747s and SSTs. To be completed
early in 1971, it will incorporate the present terminal at
Kennedy and will accommodate all the airline's arrivals and
departures under one roof, with six gate positions for 747s
and/or Concordes and ten positions for present-sized jets. There
will be lounge space for 4.000 persons and the terminal will
be designed to handle up to 3,000 passengers an hour.
BMA Fleet Disposals Following the sale of DC-3 G-ANTD
in September to Cameroon Air Transport, British Midland
Airways last month sold two Canadair Argonauts (G-ALHS
and -ALHY) to Chartwell Aviation. The DC-3 was the first of
eight to be bought and the last to be operated in passenger
service by the airline. Because of the tribulations when
introducing then new equipment, it was affectionately known
as Tear Drop—a soubriquet later applied to other DC-3s as
they came and went. The airline's two Viscount 800s are on
short-term lease to Ghana Airways (G-APNE) and Nigeria
Airways (G-AVJB), both with BMA flight crews and engineers.